Last night (Sat., March 19, 2016), Neil Magny and Hector Lombard collided at UFC Fight Night 85 inside the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. In a fantastic comeback, Magny finished his foe via strikes. Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contenders Neil Magny and Hector Lombard went to war last night (Sat., March 19, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 85 inside Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
Despite an increasingly high level of competition, Magny has been finding great success in recent years. Last night was a big moment for him, as it could be the most high-profile victory of his career.
Alternatively, Lombard entered the bout with a lot to prove following his disciplinary suspension. That said, if Lombard could perform in violent fashion similar to his earlier UFC wins — and pass all the necessary drug tests — he’d still be right in the title mix.
Lombard wasted no time. He immediately rushed into the clinch, where he shook Magny with a violent uppercut. From on top, Lombard landed some heavy shots and damaged his opponent badly.
After a couple of minutes of abuse, Magny returned to his feet, only to be stunned by a hard right hook. However, Magny did recover a bit by the end of the round and began to find his range.
Regardless, it was a massive first round for the Aussie.
Despite — or more accurately, because of — his violent success in the first, Lombard was badly winded. Magny began connecting on his punches frequently but was dropped once more. This time, however, he reversed into top position.
Lombard took some serious damage from his back, and Magny threatened with a deep triangle choke as well. Near the end of the round, Magny had his foe flattened out and nearly finished, but Lombard survived to the final bell.
It was all tied up heading into the third.
Despite the fight likely being tied on the scorecards, it was clear who held the momentum. Magny immediately began working Lombard over with punches before taking him down.
Once Magny moved into the mounted triangle, it was all over, as the lanky grappler pounded his wobbly opponent with punches for a technical knockout finish.
Wow.
Magny is a very technical fighter, but he won this fight thanks to his heart and conditioning. Magny had to dig deep to survive the first round, but once that happened, he was able to take over pretty quickly.
Cardio wins fights.
From the technical side of things, it’s easy to admire how well Magny uses his length on the mat. Once he’s on top, Magny is able to hip in hard and break his opponent’s posture while delivering big shots. It really wore down Lombard and made him far less threatening.
The triangle attempts were just a bonus.
This is a massive win for Magny, as no one has ever manhandled Lombard like that. Magny imposed his will and dominated from the start of the second round, and that makes him one of the top contenders in the world. Ideally, a match with Tyron Woodley would make sense.
On the other hand, Lombard fell short hard. Usually, he either finishes his opponent with the early burst or fights conservatively to win the decision. In this bout, his lacking gas tank and poor energy management cost him dearly.
Simply put, gassing out against elite fighters never works well.
On a positive side, Lombard was genuinely terrifying in the first round. He looked as dangerous as ever, and lots of fighters would’ve been finished by his thunderous punches. While he may not fight for the title as many hoped, Lombard is still a dangerous force in the welterweight division.
Last night, Neil Magny battered Hector Lombard in a thrilling performance. Can Magny hold UFC gold?
For complete UFC Fight Night 85 “Mir vs. Hunt” results and play-by-play, click HERE!